Presentation Tips

"When making a presentation, your goal is not to remove all the butterflies from your stomach, but to convince the butterflies to fly in formation." - Vincent DiSalvo

• Provide handouts and make use of all information in this kit--photocopy pages, quote facts and statistics, etc.
• Know your audience so you can gear your presentation accordingly for content.
• Treat your audience as if it were a gathering of old friends.
• Remember, the average person will only retain about seven important points or concepts.
• Remember, you will either capture or lose your audience in the first four minutes, so it is important to make your introduction dynamic, perhaps starting with an anecdote or story.
• Do not attempt to answer questions you cannot answer. If you don't know, offer to get the information at a later time.
• If you get opposition from an audience member, do not debate them. Instead, acknowledge what they have said by repeating it back to them and tell them you will meet with them after the presentation to discuss it further.
• Avoid using negatives, technical jargon, acronyms, and cliches.
• Use humor carefully so that you do not detract from your message.
• Keep handy an emergency kit of colored markers, chalk, masking tape, hard copy of slides, spare projector bulb, scissors, etc.
• Prepare more information than you will need so you can shorten or lengthen your presentation as needed.
• Test audio-visual equipment (slide projector, VCR, etc.) prior to the presentation.
• Bring business cards so audience members can contact you later if they want to.
• Practice, practice, practice!